Devender Singh, a 61-year-old Indian national who lives in Baton Rouge, was taken into custody by the FBI after the plane arrived in New Jersey on Sunday. The arrest was made public Monday, the same day Singh appeared in U.S. District Court on a charge of abusive sexual contact.

Singh was represented by a federal public defender, and a judge ordered him detained with the option to seek a bail hearing. He could face up to two years in prison if convicted.

Singh was seated next to the woman, who occupied a window seat on the United Airlines flight from Houston to Newark Liberty International Airport, prosecutors said.